As national governments cede society to international and soon-to-be intergalactic corporations, Sontem launches the Nexus and the Argus, two intergenerational starships sent as emissaries to the cosmos, but whose sole mission is to secure mining rights for the parent company. The ships are armed with the best of mankind's minds and technology, and a sense of manifest destiny. Captain Anderson Grant of the Nexus, the second starship in Sontem's budding armada, prepares to boldly fight and screw where no man has before. But Anderson and his crew struggle to maintain their humanity in the face of deception, exploitation, (sexually) aggressive aliens, and a system that ultimately respects its crew more for their genetic capacity than their individuality.

Nexus: Octopied is a short story of approximately 5,500 words, set between Nexus and Nexus 2: Sins of the Past. Elle, head of security on the Nexus, should have her hands full preparing for the consequences of her crew's actions after their most recent trip to the wormgate. Instead, she's been sent to negotiate a contract with the urchin people of planet cat-piss. But the smell won't be the worst thing she encounters during negotiations, as the urchin people are treacherous, and plagued by an alien octopus with a fascination with its victims.

Captain Drew Anderson and the crew of the Nexus embraced their decision to cut themselves off from the homeworld and parent company, Sontem. But their former coworkers have other ideas, and now Sontem's other ship, the Argus, is coming for the Nexus. Learning to be a democracy has its growing pains, and the crew is still struggling to work together. But the Argus' chase threatens their new life, as well as the worlds they've encountered along their way. The Nexus' crew can capitulate...or face the annihilation of millions. Sins of the Past is the second book in The Sontem Trilogy. It contains graphic language and content.